Thermoplastic luggage frame



May 31, 1949. H. FREEMAN THERMOPLASTIC LUGGAGE FRAME Filed Dec. 22, 1945 INVENTOR I wee/flan ATTO R N EY S Patented May 31, 1949 UNITED STAT-ES PATENT OFFICE 2,471,612 THERMOPLASTIC LUGGAGE FRAME Harr Freeman, Providence, R. I. Application December 22, 1945, Serial No. 636,661

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in luggage and the method of making the same, more particularly to luggage the walls of which are flexible.

age of this general construction in which the-walls are made of cloth material and the like usually have the walls sewed in place. This is a relatively expensive and slow method of securing the walls of lug age in place;

An object of this invention is to provide a thermo-plastic frame having flanged portions with a rib between the flanged portions which form shoulders for abutting the walls of a luggage unit against the shoulders for being readily secured to the frame.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompany drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a piece of luggage embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of a section of stock employed for making the frame;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of one of the walls of the luggage;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating diagrammatically an electric circuit forming part of the equipment employed for bonding the walls of the luggage to the frame.

In proceeding with the invention, I make a. frame of a suitable thermoplastic material such as vinylidene chloride which is extruded to provide a proper cross-section having portions at the proper angle to each other providing surfaces for receiving the walls of the lug age to be secured thereto. The edge portions of the walls which may be of a cloth material are coated with a film of a suitable thermoplastic material, preferably similar to the material used in making the frame. With the walls held in proper. position on the frame, the same are joined by welding to each other by suitable equipment for generating heat, such as by means of a high frequency of electric current in the radio frequency range.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description of the invention, Ill designates generally a piece of luggage having frames ll made of an extruded vinylidene chloride. The frames may support side walls 12 and be connected by a flexible bottom wall l3 and edge walls l5, all joined to these frames by means of a weld bond have secured thereto a fastening device I8 01 the so-called zipper type to close or open the entrance. Handles I! are provided for carrying the luggage and these may be secured to the walls I2 in any suitable manner such as by sewing the same as at I8.

The frame material is extruded in a form to provide a rib l9 from both sides of which there extend portions 26 providing shoulders 2!. The walls of the luggage in the present instance are made of a cloth material and cut to the proper shape. A film of a suitable thermoplastic material, preferably the same as that from which the frame is made, is applied to the edge portions 22. 22 of the walls. The coated walls are positioned to overlay and engage the portions 20 with the edges 23 of the walls abutting the shoulder 2|.

With the walls in proper position electrodes 24 of a proper shape are positioned to overlay and engage the outer surface of the thermoplastic coated edge portions of the walls as at 25, shown in Fig. 5. An electrode 26 is positioned to engage the inner surface of the frame as at 21. shown in Fig. 5. These electrodes are connected by conductors 28 and 29 to a source of high frequency electric current, generally designated 36. which will provide a high frequency field to produce sufiicient heat to weld join the coated edge portions of the walls to the frame. The source of electric power herein shown comprises an oscillating circuit of the so-called Hartley type as shown in Patent 1,356,763. This circuit is well known in the art'and it is not deemed necessary to describe the same for a clear understanding of the invention.

I claim:

A luggage unit comprising a body portion having a plurality of walls, a thermoplastic frame extending completely about the edges of said walls and having a central rib and flange portions, said flange portions having outer surfaces extending from opposite sides of said rib substantially at right angles to each other to provide shoulders on said ribs, said shoulders and said surfaces forming exterior angles of at least ninety degrees, marginal portions of said walls being positioned adjacent said shoulders and in contact with said surfaces, said rib having a protuberance joining said shoulders and positioned outwardly of planes containing the walls, and said walls being weld bonded to said flanges.

HARRY FREEMAN.

(References on following page) Coventry Mar. 31, 1936 Name Date Pitm-an July 20, 1937 Crandell July 13, 1943 Adelman Feb. 29, 1944 Slaughter Nov. '6, 1945 Haberstump Jan. 8, 1946 Lincoln Aug. 27, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS A Country Date Great Britain Dec. 10. 1925 

